field recording

[major240]

I am interested in persuing this area a bit further. I like to collect sounds, mix them, etc.
Thought I'd check and see who has experience in this area and what equipment is deemed necessary. Any contributions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[F_cksia]

uhoh I'm too Dutch to understand this thing called 'field recording'.

Is it like standing in a field and recording cows and birds and mules and tulips and cheeses?

[db51]

A portable minidisc recorder would be a good start

[adam]

i've been doing the same. Tape recorders are crap. They sound terrible, unusuable (well any I've used).

I plugged a stereo mic into my digital video camera and got great sound quality. For more portable, I'm looking into minidisc players. They are hard to research and buy, but looks like Sharp are better than sony's for recording.

DAT is an option, but for me is too expensive and tempermental.

I am looking to use my laptop too when it is convienent.

[bdemenil]

I've also been looking into portable MD recorders for field recording - is there some issue uploading music to your computer? I'm sure the quality of the internal pre-amp and converters also have a big impact - anyone have any suggestions.


I'm also wondering about portable mp3 recorders. Would this be a better option?

[Wil Davis]

Originally posted by adam
...snip
Tape recorders are crap. They sound terrible, unusuable (well any I've used).
snip...

Er, I think you've been somewhat mis-lead...

You should try one of these

Have a nice day!

- Wil

[bdemenil]

Originally posted by Wil Davis
You should try one of these

No unless I win the lotto


My main problem with tape is the inconvenience of transfer to PC. That's my problem with MD too. I'm starting to lean towards an Mpeg recorder - Niagra actualy make one (NAGRA ARES-P) - and it's only $2500!

What do you all think of this : http://www.archos.com/lang=en//products/prw_500277.html

[Havoc]

DAT: if you like it (I do). Batteries are a pain because they do not last longer than 3 hours (with my pcm-m1). Quality is good, but getting it into pc makes you replay the tape and re-record in the pc. But it is easy to do digital.

MD: very long lifetime of the batteries, but the disks only last 78 minutes. It is compressed audio if that bothers you (but then again it might not). Much lighter to carry around than DAT. Getting it into the pc is also re-recording. If you have only the portable, then you can only go the analog way, for digital transfer you will need a home deck. Unless you go for something like the HHB.

Archos: looks nice, but I do not have any experience. Big question here are the mic-amps. DAT and MD mic-amps are not great, but acceptable. Those of the archos are an unknown, but as it was not designed for that I have my doubts.

Something like a fostex MR8, or a Korg PXR4. Records on flash cards or smart cards. Compressed or not. Portable and designed for audio AND pc interfacing.

[bdemenil]

Hmmm, the fostex and the korg are pretty cool. I especially like the fostex - it records uncompressed 16bit 44.1K audio. With a 512MB Compact Flash card, it can records 100min (mono)- not as much as a standard DAT tape. It costs about $300. Add a 512MB flash card for $130 and the cost moves up to ~ $430. If You get a 1GB CF card, the price moves up to ~$600 - Still less than a cheap DAT. Also, I bet it has a better pres than the low end DATs. I like it.

One problem with the Archos is that I don't think it has a built-in preamp. This means you need an external pre to record with a mic. It does have a built-in mic - so it's still convenient for quickly taking down ideas. If only the Fostex had the Archos' 20GB storage...

[ajfriedman]

Both are hand held battery powered mp3 recorders.

The Archos has a built in hard disk with 10, 15 or 20 GB and will record in VBR mp3 at rates up to 192 KBPS. Some people have swapped in a 60 GB drive and the unit still works. The Archos supplied firmware is terrible, but there is a free open source replacement firmware called Rockbox, which is quite good.

The unit is about 3 by 4 inches and over an inch thick. It runs off 4 rechargeable AA batteries. It does a decent job, but it is a bit finicky, mechanically. You can expect at least 8 hours of operation from a fully charged set of batteries.

Don't use the built in mic. It picks up the disk drive spinning up.
To use the line in, you will need a battery box and pre-amp for an external mic. Archos makes one for about $40. A real good unit from Sound Professionals will run about $200. There's also a digital in jack. The LCD screen will display recording level.

The Pogo Ripflash is the size of two books of matches and weighs about as much. Ir runs on two AAA batteries and will do CBR up to 224 KBPS from an external source, 112 kbps from the internal mic. It uses Smart Media, and there's a slot that will hold an extra 128 MB. The unit comes with 128 - 256 MB internal depending on model. The first set of batteries lasted at least 10 hours.

The Ripflash Plus has both an internal mic and a speaker, and they aren't terrible. You can use the same type of external mic/battery box/preamp with the line in, but you'll have to guess at the level to set, as there is no level display on the LCD screen.

Both have USB for fast transfer of files to a PC. Archos uses Windows Explorer. Pogo has their own software.

One big difference:

Archos functions exactly like a hard disk. You can transfer files from and to your computer no matter where they came from.

Pogo Ripflash only allows you to upload files you have recorded on it. If you download a file to the unit, you can't upload it back again.

[Havoc]

Forgot this one: http://www.sonifex.co.uk/courier/index.shtml

Records onto pcmcia hd, has build in mic preamp, usb, modem, hot swap battery etc. The day my dat passes away, I'm going to take a hard look at that.

[moskus]

I'm getting OK sound with my MD, but then the biggest problem for me is the mic...

[bdemenil]

The Courier Portable Recorder looks great. The only thing is price: ~$2000. That's more than my PC is worth.

It's too bad the Archos won't records uncompressed pcm audio. Seems silly not to include that as an option.